Anonymous
Post 03/25/2025 11:57     Subject: Where's the Swarthmore posts?
Anonymous wrote:DD chose Pomona over Swat last year. DD is social, intellectual, and artistic. She really liked Swat and the students she met in an overnight Swatstruck visit. It has a beautiful campus, great resources, and easy access to Philly. Swat is rigorous for sure (as are all top LACs), but I think its reputation for intensity is largely overstated by the internet echo chamber. I think she would enjoyed and have done well at Swat, but she chose Pomona because of the consortium and location (more outdoors opportunities). Overall, I think the two schools are very similar. Swarthmore is great.


+1
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2025 11:57     Subject: Where's the Swarthmore posts?
Anonymous wrote:No one got in from DMV schools. It's too hard. So there's no threads about SWAT since they give us no love lol!

Wow. Zero?
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2025 11:54     Subject: Where's the Swarthmore posts?
Anonymous wrote:
It's an indoctrination camp, where unless you go by they/them/x/etc, you are ridiculed. Any you'd better be gay or bi, or else you are ostracized. Speaking from first hand experience.


Utter nonsense. Student body is completely normal, and there is no over representation of gay, bi and no one is getting ostracized.
Anonymous
Post 03/23/2025 19:23     Subject: Where's the Swarthmore posts?
Great school with the added benefit of being 20 min from a large city by train. Unusual for a top LAC, antithesis of Williams in that regard.
Anonymous
Post 03/23/2025 18:40     Subject: Where's the Swarthmore posts?
I grew up near Swarthmore and their students always seemed depressed and miserable. Academically it has the reputation of being a real grind compared to other LACs.
Anonymous
Post 03/23/2025 16:57     Subject: Where's the Swarthmore posts?
Anonymous wrote:My daughter is a freshman at Swarthmore, a graduate from a DMV public high school. She’s very happy there and feels it is a perfect fit. She was denied ED and accepted RD to Swat, Amherst, Wesleyan, and William and Mary. But ultimately she chose Swat because of its strong academics, and strong art and music programs. It’s a small college, smaller than her high school so that may be one reason you don’t hear much about it. She applied with full application including test scores, arts portfolios, and GPA. She thought she had no chance when she was deferred ED but ultimately was accepted and has found many other students in that position. I suspect Swat uses ED for first generation low income and sports students.


If your kid doesn't like small, don't bother with Swat. It is small.
Anonymous
Post 03/23/2025 16:48     Subject: Where's the Swarthmore posts?
DD chose Pomona over Swat last year. DD is social, intellectual, and artistic. She really liked Swat and the students she met in an overnight Swatstruck visit. It has a beautiful campus, great resources, and easy access to Philly. Swat is rigorous for sure (as are all top LACs), but I think its reputation for intensity is largely overstated by the internet echo chamber. I think she would enjoyed and have done well at Swat, but she chose Pomona because of the consortium and location (more outdoors opportunities). Overall, I think the two schools are very similar. Swarthmore is great.
Anonymous
Post 03/23/2025 16:20     Subject: Where's the Swarthmore posts?
DMV public here - toured Swat and liked it, but sadly rejected in RD. Not in the market to ED.
Anonymous
Post 03/23/2025 16:19     Subject: Where's the Swarthmore posts?
Anonymous wrote:Half of Swat admits did not submit test scores. I doubt it it’s still rigorous. Over 20% financial aids, full pay students pay for the tuitions for all.



Of course it's known for its academic rigor, but there is always the question of institutional priorities. TO helps with 25% athletes plus heavy emphasis on FGLI and diversity (more than 50% identify as non-white/non-Asian). The DMV suburban publics and privates are not their target. The very rare DMV kid I've known to get in has only gotten in after deferral or waitlisting.
Anonymous
Post 03/23/2025 16:15     Subject: Where's the Swarthmore posts?
It’s extremely self-selecting and still, most people don’t get in.
Anonymous
Post 03/23/2025 16:01     Subject: Where's the Swarthmore posts?
Anonymous wrote:Half of Swat admits did not submit test scores. I doubt it it’s still rigorous. Over 20% financial aids, full pay students pay for the tuitions for all.

This is true for all WASP institutions, but also your full pay analysis is wrong- endowments and philanthropy pay the tuition of other students. You are not special.
Anonymous
Post 03/23/2025 15:57     Subject: Where's the Swarthmore posts?
Half of Swat admits did not submit test scores. I doubt it it’s still rigorous. Over 20% financial aids, full pay students pay for the tuitions for all.
Anonymous
Post 03/23/2025 15:31     Subject: Where's the Swarthmore posts?
Anonymous wrote:DD toured but didn’t love it. Felt campus was too confining and students overly intense.

Sounds perfect for the DCUM who loves Williams for the same reasons.
Anonymous
Post 03/23/2025 15:27     Subject: Where's the Swarthmore posts?
DD toured but didn’t love it. Felt campus was too confining and students overly intense.
Anonymous
Post 03/23/2025 15:22     Subject: Where's the Swarthmore posts?
Anonymous wrote:There is almost no information about Swarthmore on DCUM, but there's many threads about Williams, Amherst, and Pomona. Why? Is it more competitive than the others or are the people here just skewed east coast and west coast? It seems like the perfect fit for DD.


Consider Bucknell, that would be way better!